The UN, led by UNESCO, celebrated the International Mother Language Day on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in several of its offices across the world. The day was also observed by New York State.
Focusing on the role of youth in achieving multilinguism, the 2026 theme for the day was “Youth voices on multilingual education”, which emphasized the crucial role of young people in defending and revitalizing languages, especially through technology and digital content. The theme also stressed the role of language as a means of communication central to identity, learning, well-being and participation in society.
Aiming to foster a dialogue between young people and educators and policymakers, the 2026 celebrations focused on the role of languages in promoting inclusion and achieving Sustainable Development Goal of equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals.
The theme was in keeping with the UN acknowledgement of young people playing a vital role in keeping a language alive through use of technology and digital content created in diverse languages, and the UN support of education in mother languages. UNESCO has also been supporting multilingualism in cyberspace through global policy frameworks, partnerships and initiatives.
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The Division of Conference Management at the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) celebrated the day with events highlighting the cultural wealth and language abilities of its staff and partners. The UNOG also launched the Multilingualism Champions initiative which invited heads of UN agencies in Geneva to commit to become Multilingualism Champions by undertaking one action every year to promote multilingualism within their organizations.
UNESCO Headquarters in Paris held a virtual Campus event on February 13, 2026, titled “Many languages, one future: Youth voices on multilingual education”, which aimed at safeguarding linguistic diversity and promoting multilingualism in education. The United Nations University (UNU) is a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The virtual event for students aged 13–18 featured chats with international experts and peers from all regions, and sharing of experiences to identify concrete actions to promote linguistic diversity in their schools and communities.
UNESCO Paris also organized on February 20, 2026, a high level panel discussion for member states. Organized by the Permanent Delegation of Bangladesh, chief speakers at the panel included Khondker M. Talha, President of the General Conference, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO. Nasser Hamad Hinzab, President of the Executive Board, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Qatar to UNESCO also spoke, followed by an address by UNESCO Director-General Prof. Khaled El-Enany.
The panel also included a keynote address on the future of mother languages in the AI era by Prof. Damián Blasi. A ministerial panel discussion moderated by UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini examined the role of language in peacebuilding and sustainable development, concluding with an evening of cultural performances.
The State of New York celebrated the International Mother Language Day representing the state’s cultural and linguistic diversity, and honoring the 1952 Language Movement in Bangladesh. Bangla is one of over 800 mother languages spoken across New York State.
New York state also gives an individual right to access state programs, benefits, and services, no matter what language one speaks, and provides free interpretation services and translations in many languages.